Emily Thorn Vanderbilt (January 31, 1852 – July 28, 1946) was an American philanthropist and a member of the prominent
Vanderbilt family. She financed the creation of New York's
Sloane Hospital for Women in 1888 with an endowment of more than $1,000,000.[1][2]
Early life
She was born in 1852 as the fifth child, and second daughter, of
William Henry Vanderbilt (1821–1885) and Maria Louisa Kissam (1821–1896). Her paternal grandparents were
Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794–1877) and his wife, Sophia Johnson (1795–1868).[3]
In 1872, the twenty year old Vanderbilt was married to
William Douglas Sloane (1844–1915).[5] Sloane was the brother of
Henry T. Sloane of the carpet firm
W. & J. Sloane, and together, Emily and William became the parents of three daughters and two sons, including:[6]
In 1920, after Sloane's death, she married
Henry White (1850–1927), American Ambassador to France and Italy, and a signatory of the
Treaty of Versailles.[8][9]
Emily Thorn Vanderbilt Sloane White's grandchildren include Adele Hammond, paternal grandmother of actor
Timothy Olyphant, Alice Frances Hammond, wife of
jazz musician
Benny Goodman, Rachel Hammond, cattle breeder, and wife of Manley D. Breck, and
John Henry Hammond II, talent scout.